Sport – Makamba Onlinehttp://makambaonline.com
Africa be heardWed, 20 Mar 2019 13:48:25 +0000en-GBhourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.10100824276Milner penalty put Liverpool back on tophttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/03/17/milner-penalty-put-liverpool-back-on-top/
Sun, 17 Mar 2019 20:12:56 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27113Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League but needed James Milner’s late penalty to avoid dropping points at Fulham. Leading through Sadio Mane’s 11th goal in as many games in all competitions, the visitors failed to put a limited Fulham side away, allowing the hosts back into the game. A dismal defensive mix-up […]

]]>27113Ten men Arsenal lose to Renneshttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/03/08/ten-men-arsenal-lose-to-rennes/
Fri, 08 Mar 2019 01:08:29 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27084Ten-man Arsenal suffered their first away defeat by a French club in European competition in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at Rennes. The Gunners appeared to be cruising when Alex Iwobi’s early cross from the left drifted past home goalkeeper Tomas Koubek, into the right corner. But Benjamin Bourigeaud’s stunning strike, […]

]]>Ten-man Arsenal suffered their first away defeat by a French club in European competition in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie at Rennes.

The Gunners appeared to be cruising when Alex Iwobi’s early cross from the left drifted past home goalkeeper Tomas Koubek, into the right corner.

But Benjamin Bourigeaud’s stunning strike, which flew into the top right corner, levelled matters immediately after Sokratis Papastathopoulos’ dismissal for a second booking.

Unai Emery’s side fell behind when Nacho Monreal deflected Mehdi Zeffane’s cross from the right past his own goalkeeper Petr Cech.

And Ismaila Sarr’s diving header in the closing stages compounded a miserable evening for Arsenal.

However, it was no more than the hosts deserved as they capitalised on their man advantage to bombard the visiting goal after the break.

Arsenal will now hope to repeat their heroics from the last-32 stage, where they overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Belarus side Bate Borisov to progress with a 3-0 home victory.

Arsenal arrived at Roazhon Park having never lost an away game against French opposition. For large parts of the first half, that record looked like remaining intact as they gathered an early lead courtesy of Iwobi and controlled possession.

But instead of extending their advantage, with Lucas Torreira seeing a shot superbly saved by Koubek, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also testing the Czech goalkeeper, they proved architects of their own downfall in an 86-second spell.

Having already been booked for a foul on Hatem Ben Arfa, Greece defender Papastathopoulos foolishly tugged at Sarr’s shirt to earn his second yellow card of the evening.

From the resulting free-kick, Bourigeaud’s equaliser shifted the momentum of the game in the hosts’ favour.

With attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan deployed as a makeshift right-back, Arsenal faced one-way traffic in the second period.

Cech, who replaced Bren Leno in goal for Emery’s side, produced a string of superb saves, denying Adrien Hunou, Sarr and Ben Arfa twice with the score at 1-1.

But he was helpless to prevent Rennes’ second of the night with the Arsenal defence clocking off to allow Zeffane to reach the ball before it flicked off Monreal into the top corner.

And as Arsenal attempted to see out the game with only a one-goal deficit, they carelessly lost possession to inflict further damage on themselves.

James Lea Siliki escaped on the left and delivered the perfect ball for an unmarked Sarr to head past Cech at the back post.

In 2011-12, they were unable to advance beyond the group stage of this competition. They also twice failed in the Uefa Cup group stage, in 2005-06 and 2007-08, before it was rebranded as the Europa League.

While Emery was able to spend more than £26m on Torreira alone last summer, Stephan’s achievements have come with a more modest outlay.

Former Newcastle and Paris-St-Germain forward Ben Arfa, who tormented Mkhitaryan at times, arrived on a free, while ex-Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier, who has five caps for France, hardly put a foot wrong in midfield with a 90% pass accuracy.

There were also signs that Sarr, who has been linked with Barcelona, could prove a handful in the return leg at Emirates Stadium.

The 21-year-old constantly tested Monreal for pace, skipping away from him on several occasions and had three efforts on goal before getting his reward at the death.

Arsenal manager Unai Emery: “We controlled the first 40 minutes and scored and this is the first target but after the red card we cannot control it.”

“When we were 2-1 down, it was difficult to have a better result. We wanted to hold the result but Rennes won the first 90 minutes. Now we have another 90 minutes at home in front of our supporters and we want to be positive; it will be 11 v 11 again.”

]]>27084Reigning champions Real Madrid bashed out of Champions Leaguehttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/03/06/reigning-champions-real-madrid-bashed-out-of-champions-league/
Wed, 06 Mar 2019 04:32:44 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27070Champions League record winners and defending champions Real Madrid were kicked out of this season’s competition on Tuesday after being thrashed 4-1 at home by an exceptional Ajax Amsterdam who overturned a first-leg deficit to reach the quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate. Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech fired Ajax into a shock seventh-minute lead after a lay […]

]]>Champions League record winners and defending champions Real Madrid were kicked out of this season’s competition on Tuesday after being thrashed 4-1 at home by an exceptional Ajax Amsterdam who overturned a first-leg deficit to reach the quarter-finals 5-3 on aggregate.

Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech fired Ajax into a shock seventh-minute lead after a lay off from the outstanding Dusan Tadic, who also provided the pass for David Neres to double the Dutch side’s advantage in the 18th minute.

Madrid, who were missing inspirational captain Sergio Ramos through suspension and hit the woodwork twice in the first half, came out stronger after the interval but were dealt a fatal blow when Serbia international Tadic crowned his sensational display by hammering into the top corner in the 62nd minute.

Substitute Marco Asensio gave Madrid a glimmer of hope by striking back but it was quickly extinguished by a breath-taking free kick from Lasse Schone, condemning Real to a fourth consecutive home defeat in all competitions.

Things got worse for the hosts, who had won the last three Champions League titles in a row, when Nacho was sent off in stoppage time for two bookings.

]]>27070Liverpool hits five to stay on tophttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/27/liverpool-hits-five-to-stay-on-top/
Wed, 27 Feb 2019 21:53:46 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27062Jurgen Klopp feels Liverpool proved some doubters wrong after they turned on the style to crush Watford at Anfield and stay top of the Premier League. The Reds had dropped six points in their previous four top-flight games but two goals each by Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk, as well as another from Divock […]

]]>Jurgen Klopp feels Liverpool proved some doubters wrong after they turned on the style to crush Watford at Anfield and stay top of the Premier League.

The Reds had dropped six points in their previous four top-flight games but two goals each by Sadio Mane and Virgil van Dijk, as well as another from Divock Origi, helped them to their biggest win of the season.

“You know what was written and said about us. It is of course not right,” Klopp told BBC Sport afterwards. These boys are outstanding and today they showed so much passion.”

With 10 games of the league season left, Liverpool stay one point clear of nearest rivals Manchester City, who beat West Ham 1-0 on Wednesday.

Klopp’s side were 2-0 ahead in 20 minutes as Senegal forward Mane headed the first before doubling the lead with an outrageous back heel, Trent Alexander-Arnold providing both assists.

Mohamed Salah hit the post before Divock Origi beat Ben Foster at his near post to make it 3-0. Van Dijk scored two late headers, including one from another Alexander-Arnold assist.

Klopp went on the pitch at the full-time whistle to applaud Liverpool’s fans and headed back to the dressing room with a huge smile and his arm draped around Alexander-Arnold’s shoulder.

The 20-year-old England defender marked his return to the side, after being left out of Sunday’s draw at Manchester United, with an outstanding performance as poor Watford were put to the sword.

Alexander-Arnold’s pace caused the Hornets’ defence all sorts of problems while Adam Masina had a torrid time at the hands of Salah. This was a timely return to winning ways for Liverpool after one win in their previous five league and cup games.

Mane’s header set them on their way but it was his second which showed Liverpool had their swagger back – a spectacular back heel past Foster.

Origi has been a spectator for most of the season, but with Roberto Firmino missing because of an ankle injury, the Belgium forward marked his rare appearance with a right-foot finish in front of the Kop. Before this game, Van Dijk had scored one goal for his club this season but found the net twice in the space of three minutes as Watford caved in.

Liverpool will face tougher opponents during the run-in, while they will be replaced at the top of the table on Saturday if City avoid defeat at Bournemouth as Klopp’s side are not in action until Sunday at Everton.

“We have 69 points,” added Klopp.

“We could have had 75 but we are having a really good season. Let’s enjoy the ride and see where it takes us.”

Watford have had a terrific season under Javi Gracia, the Spaniard guiding the Hornets to a ‘best of the rest’ seventh spot in the table and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Yet they were blown away by Liverpool in such a manner that Wolves, who were not playing, moved ahead of them because of a superior goal difference.

]]>27062Celtic boss set to join Leicester after permission for talkshttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/26/celtic-boss-set-to-join-leicester-after-permission-for-talks/
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 06:21:17 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27030Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is expected to be confirmed as Leicester City’s new manager after holding talks with the Premier League club. Former Liverpool boss Rodgers is in the Midlands after discussions on Monday night and a deal to replace the sacked Claude Puel is believed to be close. Former boss Neil Lennon is set […]

]]>Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is expected to be confirmed as Leicester City’s new manager after holding talks with the Premier League club.

Former Liverpool boss Rodgers is in the Midlands after discussions on Monday night and a deal to replace the sacked Claude Puel is believed to be close.

Former boss Neil Lennon is set to take over at Celtic until the end of the season, with first-team coach John Kennedy expected to take charge for Wednesday’s Scottish Premiership trip to Hearts.

“Brendan has indicated that this is an opportunity he wishes to investigate further,” Celtic said in a statement.

Ex-Liverpool manager Rodgers cut short a BBC Scotland interview after the champions’ win over Motherwell on Sunday when asked about the Leicester vacancy.

Celtic are eight points clear of nearest rivals Rangers in the league as they chase an eighth successive title. Rodgers has won every domestic trophy he has contested – two Scottish Premierships, three Scottish League Cups and two Scottish Cups – since arriving at Parkhead in the summer of 2016.

They reached the group stages of the Champions League in his first two seasons, but were knocked out in the third qualifying round by AEK Athens this term amid unrest between Rodgers and the Celtic board over a failure to strengthen the squad last summer.

Last week, they bowed out of the Europa League at the last-32 stage for the second successive season, losing to Valencia.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard played under Rodgers at Liverpool, where he narrowly failed to guide them to the Premier League title in 2014 before his departure in October 2015.

Gerrard, speaking on Tuesday, said: “Brendan has done ever so well at Celtic over the last few years. It is no surprise other clubs watch him and want to acquire his services.

“I have worked with Brendan, he is a very good coach. I am not surprised at the timing. From our point of view, we will keep an eye on it and see how it pans out. My focus is on Rangers.”

Puel was dismissed after 16 months in charge following Saturday’s 4-1 defeat by Crystal Palace. The 57-year-old Frenchman left the club 12th in the Premier League having lost five of their past six league games. First-team coaches Mike Stowell and Adam Sadler were put in temporary charge. Leicester play Brighton at home in the Premier League on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

]]>27030Sterling clinch dramatic win for Man City, Ronaldo leaves Madrid empty handedhttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/21/sterling-clinch-dramatic-win-for-man-city-ronaldo-leaves-madrid-empty-handed/
Wed, 20 Feb 2019 23:41:55 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27021Late goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling gave Manchester City a 3-2 win at Schalke 04 in their Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday, that put the English side in the driving seat. Substitute Sane scored against his former club with a sensational free kick in the 86th, after Nabil Bentaleb […]

]]>Late goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling gave Manchester City a 3-2 win at Schalke 04 in their Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday, that put the English side in the driving seat.

Substitute Sane scored against his former club with a sensational free kick in the 86th, after Nabil Bentaleb converted two spot-kicks in the 38th and 45th minutes to put Schalke ahead.

Sergio Aguero had given City the lead in the 18th, and the English champions were left with 10 men in the 68th minute when Nicolas Otamendi was sent off following a second booking.

City, who have conceded at least two goals in six of their seven games in the Champions League knockout stages under Pep Guardiola, will also be without yellow-carded Fernandinho for the return leg in Manchester on March 12.

Ronaldo leaves Madrid empty-handed as Atletico dispatch Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League mission with Juventus stalled on Wednesday as Atletico Madrid secured a deserved 2-0 victory from a thrilling first leg at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Ronaldo returned to the Spanish capital, where he enjoyed unprecedented success in this tournament with Real. But it was their rivals celebrating at the final whistle, as goals from Jose Gimenez and Diego Godin put Atletico within sight of the quarter-finals.

This was a victory that Diego Simeone’s side fully deserved.

Antoine Griezmann had hit the crossbar, while VAR twice intervened, correctly, in Juve’s favour – cancelling a first-half penalty for a foul on Diego Costa, and then ruling out an Alvaro Morata header shortly before Gimenez struck.

Juve are certainly not dead and buried yet, particularly given Costa and Thomas Partey will both be suspended for the return in Turin after each picked up yellow cards. But the failure to score an away goal, and their clear inferiority for much of the second half, does not bode well for their hopes of a comeback.

Defeat in the last-16 for either team would be unthinkable, for Atletico – who know the final will be played here at their own stadium on June 1, the perfect chance to wrestle the trophy off Real in the very city they share.

And for Juventus, whose wait for Europe’s premier prize has now entered its 23rd year, when expectations are higher than ever, given they now boast the tournament’s most prolific ever player.

Ronaldo, though, endured a disappointing night, suffocated from the outset as he was clattered by Godin and then outmuscled by Juanfran down the left.

]]>27021Chelsea bow out of FA Cuphttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/18/chelsea-bow-out-of-fa-cup/
Mon, 18 Feb 2019 21:58:44 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27012Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri said his team played “confused football” as Manchester United won at Stamford Bridge to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals. The result throws Sarri’s reign deeper into crisis, while United delivered the perfect response to their first defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to set up a last-eight tie against Wolves. Ander Herrera […]

]]>Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri said his team played “confused football” as Manchester United won at Stamford Bridge to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

The result throws Sarri’s reign deeper into crisis, while United delivered the perfect response to their first defeat under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to set up a last-eight tie against Wolves.

Ander Herrera converted Paul Pogba’s perfect cross to give United a 31st-minute lead, and Pogba doubled the advantage right on half-time when he dived to head Marcus Rashford’s delivery past Kepa Arrizabalaga, who should have done better.

As Chelsea slumped tamely to another damaging defeat, their fans turned on Sarri. They jeered his substitutions, mocked his ‘Sarri-ball’ philosophy, demanded the return of Frank Lampard as manager, and joined United’s fans in chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning”.

“We played confused football in the second half but in the first half we played well,” said Sarri.

“I’m worried about the result but not about the fans’ reaction because I understand the situation. I can understand our fans because the result wasn’t really good and we are out of the FA Cup.

“I was really worried when I was in League Two in Italy, not now.”

Solskjaer had no such problems as he took the loud acclaim of United’s supporters after adding another impressive victory to his collection, despite the absence of the injured Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial.

The club’s fans, who loudly sang the Norwegian’s name, may not have the casting vote when the decision on the next manager is made, but they made their feelings about Solskjaer clear on another important night for the man who hopes to succeed Jose Mourinho on a permanent basis.

]]>27012Liverpool’s Champions League story a nice one, but not finished yet – Klopphttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/18/liverpools-champions-league-story-a-nice-one-but-not-finished-yet-klopp/
Mon, 18 Feb 2019 18:48:17 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=27002“The best thing of all the things we did so far since we are together is that we are a real competitor again. That is of course not enough, but it is a big step,” says Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. Jurgen Klopp has buried the hatchet of his old Bundesliga rivalry with Bayern Munich, but […]

]]>“The best thing of all the things we did so far since we are together is that we are a real competitor again. That is of course not enough, but it is a big step,” says Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Jurgen Klopp has buried the hatchet of his old Bundesliga rivalry with Bayern Munich, but wants Liverpool to show they are Champions League contenders by beating the German giants when the sides meet in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Bayern have won the Bundesliga for the past six years since Klopp’s Dortmund claimed back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

Dortmund also lost the Champions League final to Bayern in 2013, and the rivalry between the two was intensified as Bayern picked off some of Klopp’s best players in Mario Goetze, Mats Hummels and Robert Lewandowski.

“It’s nothing, not a little bit personal,” said Klopp on Monday. “There were never any negative things with Bayern, but when we played them or when they bought our players, how could I be happy and say ‘Great, good idea I’ll bring him in my car’.

“That was not nice for us at Dortmund, but it’s part of the business. In these moments, I was not happy, but it is long ago.”

Despite reaching four semi-finals and a quarter-final since 2013, Bayern have not added to their five European Cup wins since Arjen Robben’s late winner at Wembley six years ago.

Liverpool also came close to adding to their five European crowns last season when losing out to Real Madrid in the final, but Klopp believes the fact his side are even considered contenders for the title now is a sure sign of progress since he was hired in 2015.

“The best thing of all the things we did so far since we are together is that we are a real competitor again. That is of course not enough, but it is a big step,” added Klopp.

“Being not only part of the competition, but people thinking we can beat Bayern, that’s a big thing. The story so far is a nice one, but not finished yet.”

Liverpool have had 10 days to prepare for Bayern’s visit, but despite the layoff, Klopp still has defensive problems to resolve.

Virgil van Dijk is suspended, Joe Gomez is side-lined with a lower leg fracture and Dejan Lovren faces a race against time to recover from a hamstring injury, so Joel Matip and Fabinho are expected to form a makeshift centre-back pairing.

However, Klopp is hoping the power of Anfield’s famous atmosphere on a European night will give his side the extra helping hand they need to take a lead to Germany in three weeks’ time.

“In Germany, a lot of people talk now about the atmosphere at Anfield. There was a lot of talk that we are maybe the most emotional club in world football,” added Klopp.

“Emotion in my opinion is a very positive thing, so let’s show that tomorrow night.”

]]>27002Ferrari hope new SF90 F1 car will end 10-year title droughthttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/15/ferrari-hope-new-sf90-f1-car-will-end-10-year-title-drought/
Fri, 15 Feb 2019 05:04:39 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=26985Ferrari have unveiled the car they hope will end a decade-long Formula 1 title drought in 2019. Ferrari have named their new car the SF90 to reflect the team’s 90th anniversary this year. Ferrari lost out to Mercedes in 2018 despite having a faster car at least as many times as their rivals, after a […]

]]>Ferrari have unveiled the car they hope will end a decade-long Formula 1 title drought in 2019. Ferrari have named their new car the SF90 to reflect the team’s 90th anniversary this year.

Ferrari lost out to Mercedes in 2018 despite having a faster car at least as many times as their rivals, after a series of errors by Sebastian Vettel and the team.

New team principal Mattia Binotto said the new car was “a development of last year’s, not a revolution”. He added the team had tried to “raise the bar and reach another level”.

Vettel is joined in the team by Charles Leclerc, in his second F1 season.

“I am looking forward to this year. The team is on the right path and hopefully we can continue improving,” said Vettel.

Leclerc, promoted after an impressive debut season for the Sauber team, said: “It is a very proud day for me. I’m not nervous. I think it is more of an opportunity for me to be alongside Sebastian, a four-time champion, I can learn a lot. I am pretty sure it will be a strong season.”

The new car, called the SF90 to reflect Ferrari’s 90th anniversary in 2019, features a radical front wing design to meet new regulations this year, the aim of which is to allow cars to race closer together by reducing the turbulence experienced by a car running behind another.

The rearward flaps of the wing slope downwards from the centre towards the outside of the wing, with the intention of channelling air in aerodynamically advantageous ways and reducing the losses caused by the new rules.

Binotto singled out the front wing as one of the Ferrari’s most important features. The same approach has also been seen on the car of the sister Alfa Romeo team, formerly Sauber, which ran for the first time at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track on Thursday.

He added: “We tried to push very hard to be innovative. The roll hoop is very narrow and slim, the bodywork is very slim. Engine installation, packaging, a lot of effort has been done, and the final shape is the result of all this effort. We like it.”

Binotto was technical director for the last three seasons and steps up to the position of team principal following the ousting of Maurizio Arrivabene in January.

The car is scheduled to run for the first time in a short ‘shakedown’ test at Spain’s Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday before the start of pre-season testing at the same track on Monday.

Ferrari chief executive officer Louis Camilleri said: “Vettel remains as hungry as ever and I know he is totally devoted to achieve his and our ambitions and he knows the entire team will give him all their full-hearted support.

“Charles Leclerc – we are all tremendously excited to have him. His talent, maturity, race skill and speed was evident to all last year and we are sure great things await him in the future.

“The atmosphere in the team will be one in which serenity will prevail.”

The car features matt paint work for the first time in Ferrari’s history, following a trend in F1 started by Red Bull two years ago.

It was unveiled at Ferrari’s Maranello headquarters in a ritzy ceremony that drew heavily on Ferrari’s history and standing as the most famous team in motorsport.

]]>26985Chelsea boss says his side need consistencyhttp://makambaonline.com/index.php/2019/02/15/chelsea-boss-says-his-side-need-consistency/
Fri, 15 Feb 2019 04:04:37 +0000http://makambaonline.com/?p=26984Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says he is looking for some consistency from his side after they claimed a 2-1 victory in Malmo in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie. It followed their 6-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. “In the last period we’ve had the problem […]

]]>Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri says he is looking for some consistency from his side after they claimed a 2-1 victory in Malmo in the first leg of their Europa League last 32 tie.

It followed their 6-0 defeat against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

“In the last period we’ve had the problem of up and down, up and down,” said Sarri.

“4-0, 5-0 to us, 6-0… so we need to have continuity and consistency.”

Chelsea had lost four of their previous 10 games going into Thursday’s match, being beaten 4-0 at Bournemouth in the Premier League on 30 January and 2-0 at Arsenal 11 days earlier.

Sarri said Chelsea needed to “approach every match with the same level of application, determination and attention”.

The Italian added: “You know very well that, if you are in bad mental condition in England, in 10 days you can lose three or four very important matches. So we need consistency. We have to approach every match in the same way. It’s not easy, but we have to try.”

Ross Barkley and Olivier Giroud scored for Chelsea in Sweden, with Anders Christiansen pulling one back for Malmo in the 80th minute.

The second leg is at Stamford Bridge on 21 February.

“I am happy because we played with a very good level of confidence,” Sarri said.

“It wasn’t really very easy after the last match. But today we were confident because we moved the ball also inside our box.

“So I think we played very well. We risked only on set-pieces, because they are more physical than us. We could have scored more, I think. But we conceded a goal on a mistake. Today, the level of application and attention was good. We made a mistake, I think, a material mistake. So it could have been better.

“Better because we had three or four goal opportunities when it was 2-0, so we could have killed the match. But I am happy with the confidence. It wasn’t easy to play with this confidence after the last match.”

Captain Cesar Azpilicueta said Chelsea “had chances to have a more comfortable result” against Malmo and thinks the tie is “still all to play for”.

“It was a tough defeat last Sunday but we are in the knockout stage and it’s important to start well,” he said.

“This tournament is very important. We are fighting for trophies and to be in the top four. We are in the Carabao Cup final next week. Every trophy is important.”

The Blues have a tough run of fixtures over the remainder of this month, starting with the FA Cup fifth-round tie with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

Then, after the return leg with Malmo, they face Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final on the 24th and Tottenham at home in the Premier League three days later.